Middle School (United States)
In the school system of the United States which is Middle School (Engl. For "middle school"), a secondary school of secondary education sector . They usually includes grades 6 to 8, sometimes beyond the grades 5 and 9. The Middle School follows the Primary School ( Elementary School ); high school follows her . A structured school system - with different types of schools for gifted and less gifted students - does not exist in the USA .
The decision as to which types of schools are operated is in the hands of the school districts and is therefore made locally. Therefore, middle schools are not universal in the United States. In many school districts, middle school students do not attend middle schools, but rather junior high schools , which often follow a slightly different educational concept. In still others there is no special type of school at all for the middle grades, but the high school directly follows the extended elementary school (" K-8 ").
history
By the late 19th century, elementary schools in the United States were grades K through 8 and high schools were grades 9 through 12. Columbus, Ohio, opened its first junior high school in 1901. The first middle school was founded in 1950 in Bay City, Michigan . Middle schools did not gain some widespread use until the 1960s, however, and they did not become common practice until the 1970s and 1980s. In 2000 there were approximately 16,000 middle schools and approximately 2,000 junior high schools in the United States.
concept
The Middle School tries to meet the special intellectual, social, physical and emotional needs of 11 to 14 year olds and is designed as a bridge between elementary school and high school, combining the characteristics of both types of school. The focus of the concept is the team in which the individual student finds his social base and with which he studies.
All students of a year are accommodated in the same wing of the school building and at some schools they are divided into class-like groups, in others they study in the course system. Gifted children who have received enrichment at the elementary school are grouped together as honors students at many middle schools in special groups; in other schools the composition of the classes is completely random. The entire year is supervised by a team of teachers who specialize in the basic subjects English, social science ( social studies , history), natural sciences and mathematics and who work so closely with their colleagues that many teaching units can be carried out as interdisciplinary projects . As a result, traditional school hours are often being replaced by more flexible time arrangements. Since disabled children in the USA receive integrative schooling, the team also includes a Special Education Teacher if required .
In addition to the basic subjects, the curriculum often includes a first foreign language. Regularly offered in addition Electives ( Electives ;., For example, sports, music, choir, orchestra, art, technology, health science, home economics ). Another frequently offered part of the daily routine is studying in the school library . Almost all middle schools also offer extracurricular activities such as B. Acting, competitive debating , robotics , math or chess offered; these are organized in working groups (so-called clubs and teams ). Students change throughout the day over and over again the classroom ( teachers room system ), have a fixed point in addition to their personal locker and also a Homeroom in which it for themselves. B. arrive at the beginning of the school day for the Pledge of Allegiance . The Homeroom is also the space of personal Ansprechlehrers ( Homeroom Teacher , Advisor ).
Like all American schools, the middle school is an all-day school ; the students eat lunch in the school cafeteria . The long break at noon ( recess ), which is still common in elementary schools, is usually replaced by free study time ( study hall ) at middle school . Although classes last well into the afternoon, extensive homework is given every day .
In some school districts the school year ends with final examinations (“finals”), examinations in all subjects, the grades of which are included in the last school report of the respective school year with a certain percentage. In other school districts, however, finals are not common until high school.
Differences Between Middle School and Junior High School
Since the school districts decide autonomously which concept their schools follow, the terms “middle school” and “junior high school” are not always very meaningful in practice; many "middle schools" and "junior high schools" combine elements of the concepts of both types of schools. In principle, however, there are considerable differences between the two concepts. In the junior high school - following the example of the college - the emphasis is on academic advancement and competition in performance, in the middle school, on the other hand, on cooperation and the promotion of the holistic (intellectual, creative, social, emotional) development of Student.
literature
Advisory literature for children
- Robin Epstein, Ben H. Winters: The Worst-Case Scenario Survival Handbook: Middle School , Chronicle Books, 2009, ISBN 9780811868648
- Arlene Erlbach: The Middle School Survival Guide: How to Survive from the Day Elementary School ends until the Second High School Begins , Walker Books for Young Readers, 2003, ISBN 0802776574
- Julie Williams: A Smart Girl's Guide to Starting Middle School , Pleasant Company Publications (American Girl), 2004, ISBN 158485877X
Fictional literature
- Nancy Krulik : How I Survived Middle School , children's book series
Television series
- Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide ( Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide )
- 100 things to high school
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b Middle School and Junior High Science Curricula
- ^ A b Education in Junior High Schools
- ↑ Vincent A. Anfara: The handbook of research in middle level education , Information Age Publishing 2001, p. Xiii; The Complexities of the Work Experiences of Urban Middle School Teachers on Interdisciplinary Teams
- ↑ a b c The Middle School Concept
- ↑ Middle School Concept Is Best Model ( Memento of the original from December 8, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (PDF; 15 kB)
- ^ A b Differences Between Junior High and Middle School
- ↑ Website of the publisher
